I enjoyed this, I liked the plot and the atmosphere of the small town. Mia and Pearl were my favourite characters, I loved Mia’s easy going nature. Overall I would recommend!

This was fantastic, the plot was great and I loved the characters. I really enjoyed seeing the contrast of how the characters lived and then how they ended up intertwining. I was left thinking about this book long after I had finished!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this novel; great storytelling again from Celeste Ng. Two very different styles of mothering are on show - the Richardson's are the "perfect" family living their life according to a plan, compared to the more free-spirited Mia and Pearl. Mia and Pearl are new to Shaker Heights ( a seemingly perfect planned neighbourhood) and quickly friendships are formed between Pearl and the Richardson teens. Mia and Pearl come with secrets and Mrs Richardson is keen to unearth them. In doing so a number of different threads are interweaved through the story - mother-daughter relationships, teen friendships and relationships, privilege and wealth compared to immigration and low pay. These were thought provoking and kept me engaged throughout the novel.

"From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives."

A strange book which links two families, one from the richer side of Shaker Heights and one from the poorer side of town and how their lives intertwine with disastrous consequences. I say a strange book because I struggled to understand why the two mothers, Mia and Elena were so obsessed with each other and so eager to infiltrate each other's space.

One of those books that starts at the end and then takes you back, so all the way through I was waiting for clues to help me work out how or why the fire started but was left a bit disappointed by how things panned out.

The book was, however, well written it was just the storyline I struggled with and feeling empathy with any of the children, they all needed a bit of discipline and some of their attitudes infuriated me. However, I finished the book and I understand there is a tv adaptaion on Netflix, which is available for those that enjoyed the book.

‘Little Fires Everywhere’ is that kind of book you’ll read with pleasure, as it is well written (beautiful style, not too lush, but poignant), and also plot-driven (although sometimes you’ll think: that’s a lot of things happening to one or two families - a bit too coincidentally). But most of all, it is that kind of book you’ll keep ‘reading’ in your head when you’ve finished the last page, as you keep thinking about it, about what happened, and about what not saying things, not talking, but only assuming, can do to relationships. It’s what good literature does - to make you ponder your own life.

OK, this is a 2017 published book that I didn’t get around to reading and now that I did and watched the drama series I’m annoyed at myself for missing this one earlier. I think the hype put me off, I thought I’d read it when the hype died down but, not for this long!

I enjoyed the book and the series of episodes I watched on Amazon Prime so much.

It took me a few chapters to get into it but then I was on a roll. So much so I didn’t want to do much else than read. So I did.

My conception of the story going by the title was way out.

The build up to the “spark” of this book was gradual just a flickering flame in the background throughout the chapters as I kept reading.

I now know why loads of people loved this. The characters so three dimensional and complicated.

Loved all the reveals, and that ending.....oh that ending.

Definitely a 5* from my love of this book.
The author did a fabulous job in keeping my attention.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and now during this time of lockdown, I am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I think I might be in the minority here, but I really didn’t particularly enjoy this book.

Having thoroughly enjoyed her previous book, and seeing this one on everybody’s recommend reads list, I trudged through it hoping something would happen and I would see what everyone else had seen.

Nope, just didn’t happen for me. I felt totally disconnected from all the characters. I really didn’t even like many of them and was unable to feel any type of empathy or sympathy to anyone which the exception of Bebe, the young Chinese women who abandoned her baby.

The book is well written, descriptive and you can easily imagine the town of Shaker and it’s inhabitants, but personally the story dragged, the lack of empathy I felt left me unable to care about why the fire started let alone who started it.

Not so much a slow burner, more of a damp squid personally.

Note: this was read during the week I lost 2 family members, so my thoughts here may have been affected by personal grief and stress.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the ARC of this book.
I've been wanting to read this book for ages after I started hearing people raving about it on lots of my favourite podcasts. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it because this is exactly the kind of book I love.


The highest praise I can give this book is that the voice and style reminded me of Anne Tyler who is probably my favourite author. Just as a Tyler does, Ng is able to describe the small family dramas of suburban life beautifully. She also does a wonderful job of capturing the peculiar heartbreak of longing for a child, losing a child and of actually parenting a child and how the fear of losing that child can impact negatively your ability to parent well. I felt personally touched by the stories of women suffering fertility problems and miscarriages, it's quite rare to read about this topic in an understated, realistic way which captures this awful but normal pain.


I loved the 90's setting of this book which meant the teenagers in this book are the same age I was at that time, so I understood all the cultural references perfectly. I could also totally picture Shaker Heights, the Ohio community where the book is set from Ng's descriptions.
The novel follows the lives of two families living in Shaker Heights, the Richardsons and the Warrens, and how their lives intersect over the course of about a year. There's also a really thought-provoking sub-plot about the adoption of a Chinese baby and whether she would be better off with a wealthy white family or growing up in her own culture with her struggling single-mother. This sub-plot is treated in an incredibly even-handed way.


I was slightly disappointed by the ending of the book as I hoping for a bit more face to face conflict. The book starts with the Richardson's youngest daughter burning down their house with her mother inside and then sets out the explain the events which led up to this. I was expecting a more dramatic provocation for this dangerous and irresponsible act and I didn't really feel that anything that happened in the book warranted this outcome. I wanted a bit more of a showdown between the characters but I suppose it is ultimately realistic and people do just move on from each other's lives without the having the opportunity to say everything they feel to each other.


I will definitely search out more books by this author as I loved her writing style, voice and the subject matter of this book. It's structured really well and is thought-provoking about issues without being polemical.

Slow start but worth sticking with it. Characters that had so much depth. I love American novels like this and really look forward to it being on TV. Feel it would really work.

Great book. Wonderful story for book club discussion....
Very well written a bit slow in the beginning but stick with it you will not be disappointed....
The characters are endearing and make you want to keep reading.
Thank you netgalley and the author for letting me read this book

Little Fires Everywhere is a suburban drama that reads like a thriller, crackling with tension from the outset. Set in small town Shaker Heights, where mother of four, Elena Richardson would win gold if playing by the rules was an Olympic sport, until single mother Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl arrive, waking Elena and her children to the possibilities of an alternative lifestyle. Unease begins to smoulder, as those on the outside show genuine kindness and understanding, ultimately offering hope when life doesn’t turn out quite how Elena planned.

Examining family dynamics, parenting, who has the right to mother and race, Ng’s writing is so vivid the reader can taste the smoke. A must-read for lovers of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies.

I am usually quite opinionated when it comes to books but I have nothing much to say about this. It exists. Why does it exist? Passes a couple of hours.

It took me a while to get into this book and nearly gave it up. However I am glad I stuck with it. What unfolded was a intimate insight into family life. The reader is a fly on the wall who flits between two households and is privy to all the secrets of children and parents alike. The interlinked stories mean that whatever your age and circumstance from teen to adult, parent or not you will gravitate towards one character or other. This book is Reese Witherspoon's next TV project and I think it will translate very well to a small screen dramatisation and can't wait for that.

I thought this was a captivating story and really well written. I’ve recommended it to my book club. Thank you.

Little Fires Everywhere is a story about relationships, love, secrets, loyalty and everything else that comes with being part of a family and a community. It is a coming of age novel of sorts, though not restricted to the growth and development of the youngsters in the story. The adults also navigate occurrences which allow some of them to begin questioning their established views and understand, through seeing events from another person's perspective, that not everything is clear cut. Themes such as parentage, surrogacy, adoption and abortion are poignantly addressed, but for me, the central question threading itself throughout the novel is 'what makes someone a mother?'
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it highly. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm undecided on this book. As an adopter/foster carer I felt quite conflicted reading it.

Slow to start, this book drew me in and made it very difficult to put down. It seems to be a story of opposites: the wealthy and the poor, people who live their lives as they have been 'taught' and expected to and those who live a freer life without pandering to the expectations of others. It's about growing up as a teenager, about being a parent. It's hard to judge the characters in the book, they act as they feel they should to benefit themselves, their friends or their family. This book shows you what it is to be human, to make mistakes and to live with the repercussions. I loved it. There were times where I thought I should dislike a character for their actions/ opinions, but the situation was portrayed in such a way that you could understand what they did and why they did it. This is what I really like about the two Celeste Ng books that I've read. She shows the real human side of her characters.

I had heard only good things about Little Fires Everywhere and so I was very excited to read this story that people were raving about. It is the story of the intricacies of small town America; a place where white picket fences and freshly mown lawns are the norm. It is also about the differences in the social hierarchy and how having money doesn’t automatically make you a good person.

Celeste Ng has pipped two very strong matriarchs against each other: Mia and Elena. It is there opposing lives that is the most interesting conflict in Little Fires Everywhere. That and how far each will go to do what they think is right. Celeste Ng presents her characters as people who sometimes seem pious but there good intentions are often self-serving.

I thoroughly enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere. It was not the kind of novel I would normally pick up but it shows the power of reviews that I was compelled to pick it up. I am awfully glad I did.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is available now.

For more information regarding Celeste Ng (@pronounced-ing) please visit www.celesteng.com.

For more information regarding Little, Brown Book Group (@LittleBrownUK) please visit www.littlebrown.co.uk.